Opposites Attract
by HopefortheLogans
Summary: Steffy develops a different life plan, after almost marrying Bill Spencer; one that no one sees coming.


**Title:** Opposites Attract  
 **Author:** HopefortheLogans  
 **Pairing:** Hope Logan/Steffy Forrester  
 **Rating:** G  
 **Summary:** Steffy develops a different life plan, after almost marrying Bill Spencer; one that no one sees coming.

 **Notes/Warnings:**

\- Takes place during the July 28, 2018 episode of Bold and the Beautiful.  
\- Not beta'd because I don't have a beta.  
\- No spoilers for the most recent episodes of the show.

 **Disclaimer:**

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of this author. This author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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"I always thought I was better for Liam, I really did. I thought… Opposites attract, but the truth is he's not my opposite. I wish I'd figured that out sooner, but I couldn't have, otherwise we wouldn't have Kelly," Steffy admitted with a small breath, "and your child wouldn't be on its way. So, let's put the conflict behind us. For Kelly. For your child. The three of us." A light chuckle escaped her, "no, actually, the five of us. It's time to take care of ourselves. It's time to be who we really are."

"What are you doing, Steffy?" Hope asked haltingly, slightly hunched in on herself in fear of Steffy's admittedly fervent temper. Steffy certainly couldn't blame Hope for being weary of her attention; she'd done many awful things in fits of anger, most of them to the youngest Logan herself. She had every right to doubt Steffy's sincerity up to this point, but she was done playing games.

She was so tired of this constant battle, this relentless back-and-forth. She was done facing off with Hope for Liam. It was time she grew up. It was time they all grew up. She had a daughter to think about now. Kelly was the most important person to Steffy and she had to do the utmost that she could to give that little girl the home, the family, and the example that she deserved. So, that was what Steffy was doing: being the truest version of herself. It was time to become the kind of woman her daughter could someday look up to.

Steffy smiled, maroon lips curving softly as she gave her full focus to the blonde. "What needs to be done, and I'm not just doing it for the two of you, I'm doing it for myself and my daughter. For your child too. What do we want our children to see? What do we want them to feel? That they're loved. That they're safe. And they have adults they can count on."

"I agree."

Liam chimed in, drawing Steffy's attention for a moment, "There's no question. We're all committed to that."

"You know… I was standing in Bill's living room about to do exactly what he wanted," Steffy recalled, "and that's when it hit me: I'd been spending my whole life doing that, being what other people required of me. Liam wanted the dutiful wife, and I tried to make myself what he sought until I couldn't take that pressure anymore so I unintentionally screwed it up."

At this, she turned her steel blue gaze to Liam and prayed that he saw the truth in her eyes. "But I did. Wyatt wanted a wife who loved him and only him, so when Liam was rescued from Quinn's special brand of crazy, I jumped on the opportunity to destroy that too. Over and over, I've sabotage myself. Not because I didn't love Liam or Wyatt, because I really and truly did. I still do... in different ways. No, I did it because, deep down, I knew it would never work out. I wasn't being true to myself."

"Okay..." Hope hedged gently, a small confused crease appearing between her eyebrows. "So, you went to Bill to...?"

Steffy gave a small affirmative nod, "Going to Bill was my rock bottom. Faced with his grandiose declarations and insanely high hopes, I knew accepting his proposal would be giving up, not only on love, but on my real self and I'm not done fighting for me."

Hope's smile was bright and even though Steffy could still see some confusion in her blue eyes, she knew that Hope was happy for her. "That's wonderful, Steffy."

"So, what does this mean?" Liam asked, voice becoming whinier the longer no one was paying attention to him.

Steffy took a deep breath and steadied herself, turning to face her daughter's father. "It means that I love you, Liam, for so many reasons, not the least of which is that you and I brought our beautiful daughter into this world. I will always love you, but the three of us, we need to find a better way. We need to find friendship, eventually. And give the next generation of Forresters, Logans, and Spencers more than what we had growing up. We need to find peace."

Liam's eyes glistened with tears, but his voice didn't waver once as he said, "of course. Of course, we will, Steffy." He gave her a quick hug before moving to stand by Hope once more.

Steffy returned her attention to the blonde. "You know what I realized? I was always thought the common denominator in our feud was the Spencer boys. But I realized standing in front of Bill, listening to promises that he would never keep, that it's not about the Spencers, not really."

"It's not...?" Hope echoed, tossing Liam a concerned look. It was clear that both of them believed Steffy was crazy. Maybe she was, a little, (it was a huge shift in world view, after all) but that didn't mean she was wrong.

"No, it's not," the new mother confirmed with an understanding tone. Her hands moved while she explained, tugging the ring that had once been her mother's wedding band off her right-hand ring finger. "I was fighting with you over Liam because I wasn't ready to face the truth about what I really wanted."

"What are you-" Liam attempted to interrupt, his hazel eyes moving between blonde and brunette as though he were watching a riveting tennis match. Neither woman noticed.

"This ring," Steffy continued, holding the band up so that it could be seen by all involved, "was given to my mother by my father for one of their many marriages. I thought it was only right for it to be involved in breaking this vicious cycle."

Liam interjected again, "Steffy-"

She would not be deterred. Steel blue eyes bravely met Hope's own as she asked, "Hope Logan, will you marry me?"

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 _ **A/N:**_ I might write another chapter (or more) if people are interested at all, so please comment if you want more.


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